Fire escape ladder



Nov. 25, 1969 J. J; WEIN'ER FIRE ESCAPE LADDER Filed Nov. 13, 1968INVENTOR. JEROME J. WE/NEI? United States Patent 3,480,106 FIRE ESCAPELADDER Jerome J. Weiner, 670 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ. 07666 Filed Nov.13, 1968, Ser. No. 775,423 Int. Cl. E06c 9/06, 1/383 US. Cl. 182-96 10Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A fire escape ladder for mounting tothe .side of a multistory building includes a pair of rails adapted tolay adjacent each other when the ladder is in its collapsed or storedposition. The ladder, when stored, is also disposed to lay adjacent orsubstantially parallel to the side of the building. When the ladder isreleased for use, it drops by gravity to an erected condition with itslower portion swung away from the building so that the ladder, inposition for use, is disposed at a determined slope to the side of thebuilding. In the erected condition the side rails are spaced apart bythe length of a plurality of spaced pivoted rungs extending from rail torail.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The use ofmulti-story buildings for living purposes has created a need for fireescapes and/or ladders whose design and construction has for many yearsbeen the subject of various constructions and patents. In particular, itis desirable that small homes having a plurality of stories be providedwith a fire escape means of proven design and preferably in the form ofa ladder which is readily available for use by adults and children. Sucha ladder, of course, must be made difficult, if not impossible, foropening by manipulation from the ground below. A positive means forkeeping the ladder closed is necessary to prevent a ready entrance foruse by burglars and other intruders. It is additionally important thatin providing a fire escape ladder for small homes that the cost ofinstallation and construction of the ladder be economical so it may beeconomically within the reach of the many people requiring the use of afire escape ladder. The fire escape ladder of this invention iscontemplated as being low in cost and installation.

This ladder may be readily opened by an upstairs occupant and the userof the ladder which uses gravity to bring the ladder from a closedcondition to an open condition. In the closed condition, the two siderails are adjacent each other and are in a substantially contiguousrelationship. In the open condition, the side rails are spaced apart bythe pivoted rungs therebetween and, at the same time, the lower portionof the ladder is caused to be moved away from the building to provide adetermined slope of the opened ladder to the building. This design,provided as an inclined ladder, is more easily and readily descended bythe user.

3,480,106 Patented Nov. 25, 1969 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The fireescape ladder to be more fully described hereinafter includes two siderails which are preferably metal channel extrusions. Between these railsare pivotally mounted a plurality of equally spaced rungs which aredisposed to lie in a substantially parallel condition to the ground whenthe ladder is in its open condition. In the ladder closed condition, therungs are very acutely angled toward the rails. One of the side rails isprovided at its upper end with a slide member disposed to engage andride in a guide-way means fastened to the side of the building. Thisslide member is shown as a roller retained in a channel guide or track.As the ladder is opened, the other side rail, which is a free side rail,is swung outwardly from its closed condition to an open condition. Inthe open condition, this side rail has moved to a lower point than isthe position of the side rail in the closed condition. This closedposition of the ladder has its lowermost point or ground engaging end ofthe side rail at a determined distance above the ground or street. Theother side rail is at a lower level than the free side rail but itsground engaging end is also a determined lesser distance above theground or street. The lower portion of this same side rail is attachedto a toggle arm having one end pivotally attached to the rail and theother end pivotally attached to the side wall of the building so that asthe ladder is moved from the closed to its open condition, this togglearm pushes the lower portion of the ladder outwardly. In this manner theladder in its open condition is disposed at a determined slope to theside of the building. Alatch mounted on the building is adapted toretain the two side rails in a closed or contiguous relationship to eachother and a pull pin is disposed to provide a means for retaining thepivoted rail of the ladder in an up or closed condition prior to therelease of the ladder from its latched or closed condition.

INTENT OF THE DISCLOSURE Although the following disclosure offered forpublic disemination is detailed to insure adequacy and aid in anunderstanding of the invention, this is not intended to prejudice thatpurpose of a patent which is to cover the inventive concept therein nomatter how it may later be disguised by variations in form or additions.The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward thispurpose, as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out theparts, improvements or combinations in which the inventive concept isfound.

There has been chosen a specific embodiment of the fire escape ladderfor multi-storied dwellings as adapted for use therewith and showing apreferred means for mounting said ladder to the side of the dwelling.This specific embodiment has been chosen for the purposes ofillustration and description as shown in the accompanying drawingwherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 represents a side view of thefire escape ladder in its opened condition ready for the descent thereonby the user of the ladder;

FIG. 2 represents a front view of the erected fire escape ladder in anopen condition, the view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

, FIG. 3 represents a side view of the fire escape ladder of FIG. 1 butwith the ladder in an up or closed condition, and

FIG. 4 represents a fragmentary view of the closed ladder of FIG. 3 andshowing in an enlarged detail the latch pin construction by which theside rails of the ladder are retained in a side-by-side condition.

In the following description and in the claims, various details areidentified by specific names for convenience; these names, however, areintended to be generic in their application. Corresponding referencecharacters refers to like members throughout the several figures of thedrawing.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of this specificationdiscloses certain details of construction for the purpose of explanationof the broader aspects of the invention, but it should be understoodthat structural details may be modified in various respects withoutdeparture from the concept and principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the fire escapeladder as shown in detail in FIGS. 1 through 4, there is illustrated awindow which may be a double-hung window through which a person may passto use the invention. This ladder includes a right side rail 12 and aleft side rail 14 which are contemplated as being a metal extrusion inthe form of a U or channel shape. Preferably these extrusions are ofaluminum alloy having a strength which is sufiicient to support a loadof at least five hundred pounds. Between these rails which are of adetermined length, there are a plurality of pivoted rung members 16which are of like determined lengths. Each of these rungs is pivoted atboth ends by means of pins 17 mounted in and through the opposed sidesof the channels of the side rails. These rungs are also contemplated andshown as channels of lesser width than the outer channel rails 12 and14. As exemplified, and attached to a wall 20 of a multi-story building,there is a pivoted brace or toggle arm 22 which has one end pivotallyattached to an angle or bracket 24 which is attached to the wall 20. Theother end of the arm 22 is pivotally attached to a bracket or tongue 26extending outwardly from the back of the rail 12 and is best seen inFIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

When the ladder is in its downward or open condition of FIGS. 1 and 2,the toggle arm 22 is substantially parallel to a ground or street levelsupport surface. The upper end of rail 12 is carried and supported by asmall outwardly extending arm 32 having a roller 34 mounted on the endthereof. This roller is adapted to roll in and be retained by a tracksupport or guide 36. As side rail 12 is moved up-and-down, the upper endof the rail 12 is maintained in a fixed spaced relationship to the faceof the building by means of the arm 32, roller 34 and track support 36.As it is moved vertically in track support 36, the vertical position ofthe side rail 12 is dependent upon Whether the ladder is in its open orclosed position. In the ladder open or supporting condition of FIGS. 1and 2, the rail is substantially lower than in FIG. 3 whereat the rail12 is in its upper or ladder closed condition.

' Referring now to the locking mechanisms for retaining the fire escapeladder in its up or closed condition, it to be noted that on the rail 14there is attached a headed pin 40 which extends rearwardly therefrom.The other members comprising the latching mechanism are attached to theface of the building and include an upper arm 42 pivotally mounted on apin 43 attached to the building. Pivotally depending from the end of arm42 is a link 44 whose other end is pivotally attached to latch arm 46.This latch arm 46 is pivotally mounted on pin 47 attached to thebuilding and has a spring 48 attached to its outer end so as to urge theleft end of latch arm 46 upwardly. As seen in FIG. 4, the arm 46 has anotch 50 formed in its left end. This notch is disposed to releasablyengage and retain the shank of the headed pin 40 so as to retain rail 14against rail 12. The pin, when seated in notch 50, is retained in itsupper vertical position adjacent the wall 20 by the head of the pinpreventing forward movement of the pin from the notch. Rail 12 ismaintainedin a vertical plane at its upper end by means of 4 the upperroller 34 in track guide 36 and at its lower end by the toggle arm 22.Although vertically movable, the roller 34 and toggle arm 22 maintainrail 12 in its mounted vertical plane.

When rail 12 is lifted to an up position adjacent wall 20, the upwardmovement of the rail 12 is substantially the same amount as the lengthof toggle arm 22. In its upward condition, the rail 12 brings a pair ofapertures formed in the legs of the channel adjacent or in way of a holein a latch bracket 52 attached to the wall. In rail 14 there is also apair of aligned apertures formed in the legs of the channel. Theseapertures are so positioned that the closed ladder of FIG. 3 has theapertures in rails 12 and 14 aligned and also aligned with the hole inthe bracket 52. A pull pin 54 is inserted through the apertures andbracket to prevent an unwanted upward movement of side rail 12 to permitthe pin 40 to be lifted from the notch 50 of latch 46. The rail 14 isthus maintained adjacent the wall and is prevented from moving away fromrail 12. The pin 54 is preferably attached to upper arm 42 by means ofchain or cable 56.

USE AND OPERATION To store the fire escape ladder against the side 20 ofthe building as in FIG. 3, it only requires that the side rail 14 bemoved upwardly and swung rightwardly to a position adjacent the rail 12whereupon both rails 12 and 14 are lifted upwardly until the rails arebrought adjacent the building. In this up or storing position, latch arm46 is actuated so that notch 50 receives and engages the shank of theheaded pin 40 to retain the rail 14 adjacent the rail 12 and rail 12against the wall with the ladder in its stored condition. The pull pin54 now has its shank portion thrust through the apertures in rails 14and 12 and into the hole in latch bracket 52 to prevent the rail 14 frombeing dislodged from the pin 40. The chain 56, as provided on the pin'54, is used to actuate arm 42 as well as providing retaining means sothat the pin is not accidentally dropped when the latch mechanism isreleased.

The release of the ladder from the stored or closed condition of FIG. 3only requires that the window 10 be opened so that the user of the fireescape ladder may grasp pin 54 and pull the pin from the bracket 52 andthen from the side rails. As and after the pin is pulled, it is alsonecessary to pull member 42 downwardly so that the latch arm 46 ispivoted on pin 47 to move the notch 50 from in engagement of pin 40. Thepulling of the left end of member 42 downwardly is usually by yanking orpulling on chain 56. After the latch arm 46 is disengaged from the pin40, the side rail 14 is released and falls sidewardly (leftwardly) anddownwardly to the position of FIG. 2 as urged by means of gravity. Theladder is now in an open condition and both rails 12 and 14, as theymove downwardly, are actuated by the toggle arm 22, as it swings in anarc, to move the lower portion of the ladder outwardly until the bottomends of the rail engage the ground and the ladder assumes the openposition of FIG. 1.

The upper end of side rail 12, as it moves downwardly, is maintainedparallel to the side of the building by roller 34 in track guide 36. Onthe upper end of rail 14 there may be provided a spacer or rubber bumper60 which is sized so as to engage the sill of the window 10 or the sidewall of the building when the ladder is in its open lowered condition.This spacer merely insures that the upper ends of rails 12 and 14, withthe ladder in the open condition, are generally parallel to the face ofthe building and that any tipping or rocking which might occur duringthe use of the ladder is at a minimum.

It is, of course, realized and noted that in certain circumstances thepull pin 54 and the bracket 52 need not be used. Instead of retainingthe side rails 12 and 14 against upward movement by means of pin 54, theupper movement of side rail 14 can be limited by a stop block attachedto the building and positioned to just engage the upper end of the siderail 14 when it is at its upper ladder closed condition.

The fire escape ladder shown and described is contemplated as beinglight in weight so that it may be easily moved from an open to a closedcondition. In addition, the side rails 12 and 14, when the ladder is inthe closed condition, present very little climbing assistance for aburglar, and with the window closed and locked, a lower window of thedwelling is more likely to be used as a means for breaking and entering.

Terms such as left, right, up, down, bottom, top, front, back, in, out,and the like are applicable to the embodiment shown and described inconjunction with the drawing. These terms are merely for the purposes ofdescription and do not necessarily apply to the position in which thefire escape ladder may be constructed or used.

The conception of the fire escape ladder and its many applications isnot limited to the specific embodiment shown but departures therefrommay be made within the scope of the accompanying claims and protectionis sought to the broadest extent the prior art allows.

What is claimed is:

I claim:

1. A collapsible ladder for use as a fire escape when attached to theside of a building and with the upper end of the ladder adjacent an exitmeans such as a window, the ladder in a stored condition being adjacentthe wall and when in an open condition is caused to be inclined at adetermined angle inwardly and upwardly from its resting position nearthe building to an upper support condition against the building, saidladder including:

(a) a pair of side rails of substantially the same length;

(b) a plurality of rung members having each of their ends pivotallyattached to the side rails so that the side rails may be swung to aladder closed condition with said rails in a substantially side-by-sideposition;

(c) a guide track and means for mounting the track in a verticalcondition to the building and generally parallel to the side wall of thebuilding;

((1) track guide engaging means carried by the upper end of one of theside rails, said engaging means disposed to move in and through theguide track while maintaining the upper end of the side rail in avertical plane and at a determined distance from the track;

(e) a toggle arm having one end pivotally attached to a side rail and ata selected distance from the bottom of the side rail and the other endof the toggle arm disposed to be pivotally attached to the building at adetermined position whereby the side rail is moved from a closedcondition to its ladder open condition the toggle arm is swung outwardlyto a condition whereat it positions and maintains the side rail at aselected inclined position to the side of the building; and

(f) latch means disposed to be carried by the building and to engage andretain cooperative means on the ladder to retain the side rails in aside-by-side closed condition and further to retain the folded ladderabove its support surface and substantially parallel to the building.

2. A collapsible ladder for use as a fire escape as in claim 1 in whichthe track guide engaging means is a roller carried on an arm attached tothe upper end of a side rail, said roller being retained in said guidetrack formed with an open slot for the passage therethrough of the arm.

3. A collapsible ladder for use as a fire escape as in claim 1 in whichthe track guide engaging means and the one end of the toggle arm aremounted on the same side rail.

4. A collapsible ladder for use as a fire escape as in claim 3 in whichthe latch means includes a headed pin carried on the side rail notsupported by the track engaging means and toggle arm, said headed pinbeing disposed to seat in and be releasably retained in a notched end ofa latch arm pivotally carried on the building.

5. A collapsible ladder for use as a fire escape as in claim 4 in whichthe latch arm is spring biased so that the notched end is urged upwardlyand in which the side rails have apertures so located that when theladder is in a ladder closed condition these apertures are aligned and alatch bracket having an aperture therein, and adapted for mounting onthe building with this aperture aligned with the apertures in the siderails so that when the side rails are moved to an up condition adjacentto and substantially parallel to the side wall of the building a pullpin may be inserted through the apertures to prevent a further upwardlifting of the side rails.

6. A collapsible ladder for use as a fire escape as in claim 5 in whichthe latch arm is a member of a linkage assembly mounted on the buildingand having a member thereof connected by a chain or the like to the pullpin.

7. A collapsible ladder for use as a fire escape as in claim 1 in whichthe side rails are metal extrusions of generally channel configurationand arranged with their leg portions extending toward each other, and inwhich the rung members are also metal extrusions whose ends arepivotally disposed between the legs of the channel side rails.

8. A collapsible ladder for use as a fire escape as in claim 7 in whichthe rungs are metal channels and in which the guide track has an openslot adapted to pass therethrough an arm attached to the upper end of aside rail and in which said arm has mounted thereon a roller sized andpositioned on the arm so as to be reciprocably retained in said slottedguideway.

9. A collapsible ladder for use as a fire escape as in claim 8 in whichthe track guide engaging means and one end of the toggle arm are mountedon a first side rail and in which the latch means includes a headed pincarried on the second side rail, said headed pin being disposed to seatin and be releasably retained in a notched end of a latch arm pivotallycarried on the building.

10. A collapsible ladder for use as a fire escape as in claim 9 in whichthe latch arm is spring biased so that the notched end is urged upwardlyand in which the side rails have apertures so located that when theladder is in a ladder closed condition said apertures are aligned and alatch bracket having an aperture therein, and adapted for mounting onthe building with this aperture aligned with the apertures in the siderails so that when the side rails are move to an up condition adjacentto and substantially parallel to the side wall of the building a pullpin may be inserted through the apertures to prevent a further upwardlifting of the side rails.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 321,385 6/1885 Pyme l8295 400,6564/1889 Flynn 182-96 3,025,923 3/ 1962 Burnstein 182-96 REINALDO P.MACHADO, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

